Dieting can be hard, especially when you go at it alone. Even worse is when you finally decide to change your eating habits, and everyone else around you is doing the exact opposite. From the co-worker munching on fast-food right next to your cubicle to the friends who are too busy to hit the gym with you (let’s not even discuss dinnertime with the family), it can be extremely difficult starting a diet when your loved ones aren’t interested in joining you.

However, for Michelle McBurney, a 39-year-old mother of two, jumping on board the diet train in support of a friend wasn’t difficult at all.

Michelle McBurney (left) with her friend.

While on vacation this past summer, Michelle and her friend decided to try the Cooking Light Diet for a month to see if they’d like it. It’s safe to assume they did, because Michelle says they’ve already signed up for another quarter.

“My friend and I are runners, but she has issues with her weight,” Michelle said. “I’ve never had issues with my weight, and I work out about five times a week. But she works full-time, so it’s hard for her to get the time. We try to do things together to motivate each other, so we started doing the Diet together.”

Michelle, who lived for several years in Europe and taught in Ohio, Michigan, and New Jersey (where she resides now and volunteers), was in a food rut.

“It was like I was always making pasta,” Michelle said. “It was getting so boring, and I was looking for some new ideas, so I thought, ‘We should try this.’”

Supporting a friend has led to Michelle reaping some benefits of the Cooking Light Diet as well.

“I’ve learned a lot about portion control and how much a cup of lettuce is and everything,” she said. “I don’t have to come home and think about what I’m going to make for dinner tonight because it’s already planned out. I think it’s great for busy parents who want to make healthy meals for their families, but don’t have the time to do the planning and to prepare. ”

And certain things just come with the territory of planning and feeling more in control of what you’re eating. One of those things for both Michelle and her friend is losing weight.

“If you’re interested in losing weight, that’s also something,” Michelle said. “I’m down two or three pounds*. I wasn’t trying to lose, but I did. So, that’s a positive thing, actually. We’ve gotten two more friends into it!”

We’re just happy the Cooking Light Diet has made a positive impact on these two friends’ journey to better health.

Cooking Light Diet Community Members Share Their Successes So Far for 2016 | Cooking Light

[…] New Jersey Mom Proves There’s Strength in Numbers […]

February 18, 2016 at 6:02 pm

Alina

I live in the Three Lakes Subdivision in Miami, Fl. I am interested in starting an Eating Light Cooking Club at home and want to know if there are others that would be interested in meeting monthly at various homes and cook and share healthy meals?